Proposed Gun Club Consolidation

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 6, 12 December 1947, Page 5

Proposed Gun Club Consolidation

At a special general meeting of the Whakatane Rod and Gun Club held on December 8 it was unanimously decided that the club agree to the consolidation of Rod and Gun -Clubs in this district, and that the committee do all in its power to bring about the consolidation. In his opening remarks the president, Mr J. D. Rivett, pointed out that as the meeting was a general meeting of the local club, the members of the Te Teko and Taneatua Clubs who had been invited in to the meeting could not Vote on any matters unless they were members of the local club also, but he would welcome any suggestions or views ■ on the consolidation subject from them. He also gave a brief outline of the club’s activities in the interests of the fishermen and sportsmen ih the field and denied that the club had developed into a clay-target shooting club as some people had stated although practically all of the club’s revenue _fj;onr -thig source. He said no liabilities and its assets were in the vicinity of £3'so. Continuing his remarks, he gave a brief outline of events from .the initial meeting of sportsmen who decided to form the Whakatane Rod and Gun Club as now constituted up to the present /time and thought that consolidation would be a definite advantage in putting forward suggestions and re--jpits to the Department of Internal

Affairs as they would then come from a more united and representative body of sportsmen. Mr Davies, President of the Taneatua Club, outlined the birth of the consolidation idea and said a few members of the clubs had had an impromptu talk one day and they thought that it would be better for one strong club to operate in the district, and that at the annual meeting of his club it was decided there that the club go ahead and bring about consolidation of the clubs if possible. Mr Eivers, President of the Te Teko Gun Club, asked several questions relating to proposed consolidation and stated that the annual meeting would, be. held on the 11th inst. 'when the proposal to consolidate would be submitted to the members of his club. The general opinion was an endorsement of the -/president’s remarks, and that by having one. club the overhead costs, would be ..much •lower, that bigger- and better clay target shoots could be held and that the younger shooter could be en-couraged-and helped more financially. It was also thought that if the clubs did consolidate the trophies shot for at the present club shoots could be shot for on special days and that the days could be called the Te Teko, Taneatua or Whak.atane days, depending on which club’s trophies were being shot for.